In about a month, Joe Biden will eat dinner in Iowa. Hooked? Dying to know more? Joe Biden’s September dinner in Iowa is not just any dinner in Iowa. Joe Biden, in the company of Iowa senator Tom Harkin, will eat steak—specifically fried steak—at Tom Harkin’s 36th annual steak fry. The political importance of this dinner reservation cannot be overstated.

Let The New York Times try, though: “Mr. Biden’s attendance is a sign, Democratic officials here say, that he wants Iowa voters to know he is very much considering another White House bid in 2016. A spokesman for Mr. Biden did not reply to requests for comment.” A sign! Joe Biden’s cholesterol is not in retrograde. On that note: if Tom Harkin has truly been eating fried steak for 36 years in a row, perhaps an occasional “vegetable boil” or “fish steam” or “Lipitor swallow” might be a nice addition to his schedule?

Fun fact: while eating fried steak in Iowa means that a diner intends to run for president, eating Chinese food in Iowa is a sign that a diner is putting his own life at risk.